Mina and The Count  The Later Years
by Sour Zombie
Summary: A fanfiction of the original cartoon. It takes place in the future, and stuff happens... yeah. Fun stuff.
1. Mina's Lost Memories

"Mina, sweet Mina..." a voice whispered in the night. I tossed a bit in my sleep, as if it suddenly got colder. "Dad, why are you in my room?" I asked irritated, but sleepily. I heard a laughter that was awfully familiar.  
>"Of course you wouldn't remember me. But I remember you..." the voice whispered again. "Don't vorry, you'll remember soon...very soon..."<br>Something kissed my cheek so softly i wasn't sure if it was lips or just a slight breeze. I opened my eyes drowsily, but my vision was so blurry i couldn't see who it was. The person looked at me, sighed, then turned away without another word, disappearing in a cloud of smoke.  
>"Wait..." I mumbled desperately, only to have a wave of tiredness wash over me again. I fell back onto my pillow, sleeping as if i had never woken...<p>That was 6 months ago.<p>

I was doodling in my notebook in the middle of class, of werewolves and vampires, mostly. Math was a horrible subject, and i didn't even bother learning it. The teacher stopped bothering with getting me to pay attention, since all i would do was hiss at him. My dad was furious with me. He said i was such a good girl till my 'best friend' showed up. Of course, it was probably an imaginary friend, one that i wouldn't remember, but he still reacts furiously when i misbehave. So what, i'm dark and i'm unruly. Its not like i'm smoking pot and shooting people on the streets. Once my page was filled with little scribbles, I turned to the next page in my notebook. A piece of paper fell to the floor, instantly catching my attention. No one ever gave me notes. I picked it up off the floor, looking at it cautiously. The paper was old and wrinkled, and the words on it looked like it was writen hundreds of years ago.

Dear Mina Harper,  
>Leave your windows open.<br>Sincerely,  
>The Count<p>

I looked at the paper funny, wondering if this was that nerd Chester's brilliant idea. He's had a crush on me for the longest time, and i continue to find his antics of asking me out rediculous. 'Is he trying to play on my fasination of the supernatural?' I wondered. I was about to crush the piece of paper into a ball, but something held me back. The delicacy of the paper, the fine penmanship, i couldn't tell, but something about it all seemed familiar...  
>The bell rang like a fog horn through my conciousness, making my mind clear. I quickly put the the paper in my note book and shoved it into my backpack, going off to my next class.<p>

That night, i laid in my bed, looking at the note again, admiring it. I was a sucker for anything relitively historical, but this paper seemed ancient. If this was Chester's idea, how could he have gotten paper this old? Or how could he learn to write so well, when he has the penmanship of a second grader? I still had my doubts about the note, but i left my window open anyway. What could the harm be? If it was some mysterious count, i'd figue out what he wanted.  
>And if it was Chester, I could beat the sh*t out of him.<p>

I looked over to my alarm clock. 12:00, midnight. I sighed, jumping off of my bed. I walked over to my window, looking out into the night.  
>"Guess no one's coming..." I murmured disappointedly.<br>"Vhy, are you expecting someone?" a voice asked. I jumped around, falling against the window. There, in the dark corner of my room, stood a tall, skinny man, wearing a long, dark cape that made my heart jump...  
>And he was blue<p>

"Who are you?" I snapped, grabbing my metal baseball bat Please Mina, I mean no harm!" The man said, waving his arms. I glared.  
>"Chester sent you, didn't he?" I accused, swinging the bat over my shoulders. "Well whatever he sent you for, just go home! I'm not interested!" The man shook his head, a look of uncertanty crossing his face.<br>"Mina, please, vill you just listen?" He asked. I scowled.  
>"To what, Chesters undying love poem?" I asked. "I already said, I'm NOT INSTERESTED!" I ran up to him, ready to swing my bat, when i stopped in midair.<br>"I'm sorry Mina, but there's something you need to see." The man said, holding his arm out. "Something you need to remember."  
>And thats when it all flooded back to me.<p>

"Vlad, why can't we play tonight?" I asked, my voice as high and sweet as it was when I was 9. Vlad shook his head, patting mine.  
>"Because, Mina, I have, uh, business to attend to." Vlad said in a weak voice. His voice was growing weaker over these last few months. His skin wasn't its usual blue, either, it was a decaying, rotting, gray. I pouted, crossing my arms across my chest. Vlad sighed and kissed the top of my head.<br>"Ve vill play tomorrow, Mina." The Count said. "I promise." I looked away, the same scowl on my face. The Count sighed, turning into a bat with a huff of smoke. He left out of my window as a bolt of lightning hit the ground. I looked away, trying to choke down the tears. Me and Vlad had played for every night for 2 years, why couldn't we play tonight? Did he not realize that this what my escape, the only thing fun in my life? My dad yelled at me for napping once I got home from school, and that was all so I could see Vlad! And he doesn't want to play?  
>No.<br>I jumped off of my bed, looking out the window, a determined look on my face. The bat shaped figure flew over the town, landing in a spot about 6 blocks over.  
>I smiled evilly, jumping down and grabbing my jacket.<br>My best friend was in for a surprise.

I found the house immidiately once i got there. The light of the house was dim, and the front door was wide open. I walked through the door cautiously, looking around. "Count?" i called out, looking around. I could hear a soft high pitched moan from the other room, where the television flickered. I walked to the living room,  
>then screamed so loudly it woke up the whole neighborhood.<br>The count's teeth were stuck in a young girl's neck, and the bits of blood that came out he sucked up. The Count detached himself from the girl in an instant,  
>an utterly shocked look on his face.<br>"MINA!" He exclaimed. "vhat are you doing here?" I couldn't answer, even if I wanted to, because my throat was stuck, it was hard to breath, and the only thing i could do was sob as if the world was ending.  
>"Hey, somethings going on!" Someone exclaimed from outside. The count looked out the window, then to me.<br>"Quickly, Mina, ve must get out of here!" The Count said, holding his hand out. I grabbed his hand, even though I was terrified by what I just saw. He turned into a bat, and I gripped on tightly to his feet. He flew me back to my house, changing back into his normal form once he got through the window. I landed on the floor with a thump. Tears continued to roll down my cheek, and i hiccuped so much I could've choked on them. After a moment of silence, the count hit his hand against the wall.  
>"Mina, I told you I couln't play tonight!" He yelled monsterously. That only made the tears fall down more. He looked at me, and his eyes suddenly turned soft.<br>He walked over to me, knelt down, and held me.  
>"Mina, I'm sorry..." he said, hugging me tightly.<br>"Wh-Wh-What were you d-d-doing to her?" I asked, my throat catching on every word I spoke. The Count sighed, hugging me even tighter.  
>"I'm so sorry..." He said. He stood up, looking down at me. I looked up, alarmed. The count looked me in the eyes and waved his hand "Look deeply into my eyes, Mina..." he said in a seductive tone. Oddly enough, I was instantly entranced. There was nothing in the world except the Count,<br>and his odd, black eyes.  
>"You vill forget everything you've seen tonight..." he said, waving his hands still. "And...you vill forget completely about me. You vill forget that I vas ever your friend." Wearily, I started to close my eyes, instant drowsiness crossing over me. I fell to the ground, but not until i heard,<br>"I'm so very sorry, Mina."

I broke from my trance a moment later. The Count stood there, looking at me with a sad, mournful glance. I widened my eyes.  
>"Its you." I whispered. "You're Vlad." Vlad smiled sadly, setting me down on the ground with his power. I instantly dropped the bat and ran up to him, throwing my arms around his neck.<br>"Mina?" He asked, startled. I started to cry against his chest.  
>"I missed you...I've missed you so much!" I exclaimed. Vlad looked down at me, utterly shocked. But he slowly hugged me back.<br>"I've missed you too, Mina." he said softly.

After our sob moment was over, we spent the whole night together, doing stupid stuff we used to, like tea parties and playing with dolls, things I haven't done for years, and some new things too, like sneaking out of my house and looking at the night sky.  
>"Vlad," i said, looking at the moon. It was slowly starting to fade as the sun started to light the night.<br>"Yes, Mina?" he asked, looking at the sky with me. I gulped, trying to gather up my courage.  
>"I understand why you made me forget about what I saw, but why did you make me forget you?" I asked. The Count stiffened, then relaxed, slowly.<br>"Believe me, it vas not easy for me to do that." he said, looking down. "But you vere so young. I couldn't live vith the thought of everytime i had to...  
>eat..." he said the last sentence like there was a wishbone in his throat, "that I vould have to make you forget. You vouldn't understand, and I couldn't just lie through my teeth. So, i made you forget about me. I thought it vas the best for you."<br>"Well it wasn't." I snapped, hugging my arms. "I've been alone for my entire life. Every day its either I'm called Vampira or Chester's chasing after me. I was so alone. I can't forgive what you did!" I yelled the last sentence, its volume slicing through the knife like a knife. "I came back, did I not?" he asked. I bit my lip, refusing to give in. He sighed and put his hand on my shoulder. "I made you remember, didn't I? I had no intention of leaving you behind forever. I don't think whats left of my heart could bear that." I kept my face angry for a good long moment. The sun was starting to shine over the land. Vlad winced, then sighed.  
>"I guess you don't vant me anymore," He said, "and I don't blame you." He turned around, holding his arms out. My eyes widened and I got up and ran to him, hugging him tighter than I ever have before.<br>"Don't leave me again!" I exclaimed, starting to cry again. The count looked over his shoulder, smiled, then turned around.  
>"I vill never leave you." Vlad said softly. "Love doesn't die that easily." My cheeks started to turn bright red, and my heart started to pump with the furiousity of a thousand bulls seeing red. The Count winced, obviously keeping himself from biting my neck, but erased the look immediately and smiled.<br>"You are so adorable vhen you blush." He said. I smiled a bit.  
>"So you'll come back tomorrow?" I asked. The Count smiled.<br>"Of course, dear Mina." he said. He leaned down and kissed my cheek. "But for now, I must go." I sighed and stepped back, allowing him to leave. He turned around again, transforming into a bat again, heading to the same black castle that he's always lived in, and the same black castle I'd one day live in.  
>"Good bye, Vlad." I whispered into the air. I turned around, about to head back home, but not before i turned around and said, " and, I love you too." <p>


	2. The Night of No Return

I couldn't help but smile once I got off the bus. Ever since Vlad came back, everything was better. When people called me vampira, it made me smile. When Chester came onto me, it was easier to deny him. Hell, he's cute, in a nerdy way, but compared to the Count, he's just another boy that he overshadowed.  
>"Mina! Hey, Mina!" I heard a familiar voice call. I sighed slightly, looking in the direction of the voice. Of course, it was Chester. It didn't dampen my mood any, but this whole Chester business needed to stop.<br>"Hey," I said, unenthused. Chester stopped right when he was in front of me, almost tripping on his ever untied shoe laces. I stepped off to the side, just in case.  
>"Hey," he responded, composing himself as if nothing happened. I gave a weak, pitiful smile. Chester smiled back, just the way Sora did from Kingdom Hearts (and I HATE Sora =)  
>"May I help you?" I asked, already getting a little irritated. Chester breathed for a few moments, most likely composing himself.<br>"I was wondering, since there's that Dead Man's Poetry Club after school, and since you love gothic poetry," (Which isn't true, I hate the gothic stereo type) "I was wondering if you'd go with me after school."  
>"Sorry Chester, but I have plans." I said automatically. Chester's ever happy face melted in defeat.<br>"Why do you always turn me down, Mina?" he asked, his eyes like the ones a puppy dog would make. I sighed, turning away from him. "Because, Chester, I don't see you like that. I will never see any human being in that way." I remarked, my voice as cold as stone. "Go to class, Chester. I'm not letting you make me late for class for the hundredth time." Chester was about to object, but I had already walked down the hall, leaving him behind. Chester sighed and turned around, once again defeated.  
>"But that doesn't exclude the supernatural from the equation..." I said to myself. I chuckled, walking to my class, 3 minutes before the bell rang. I smiled. My Chester denying skills were becoming honed like a sword.<p>"Mina," The Count said, as he twirled me around. I was at his castle, dressed in an old romanian dress, waltzing with him to Igor's oddly wonderful violin music (Who knew?)<br>"Yes, Vlad?" I responded, landing right in his arms. "Do you remember the day I made you remember me?" He asked, leading me in the waltz. I nodded.  
>"How could I forget?" I replied, a warm smile crossing my lips. The Count smiled back, his sharp teeth gleeming in the dull light.<br>"I ask because you mentioned a man," he continued, "by the name of Chester. You spoke of him in a very unflattering vay. Tell me, is he bothering you?" I laughed, shaking my head.  
>"He was, for a while." I said, "But it's much easier to do it now." Vlad looked at me, almost unsure.<br>"Are you sure?" he asked, "because you seem very veary (its hard to tell with his accent, but that's weary) around him." I was about to reply, but I immediately closed my mouth. I stopped dancing. The Count looked at me, almost surprised.  
>"Mina, are you-"<br>"How do you know how Chester acts around me?" I asked, looking up at him. His look of astonishment turned into a look someone gets when they're caught in a lie.  
>"Vell, you see..." He muttered, pulling on his collar a bit. I glared at him.<br>"You've been following me, haven't you?" I asked, almost appauled. Vlad gulped, not wanting to admit his fault.  
>"Mina, if i may explain..." Vlad started, but I had already walked away. The Count's face gave way to a crestfallenness. Igor's violin playing abruptly stopped.<br>"Mina, vait!" He exclaimed, running up to me. I stopped, looking him dead in the eye. He stopped, then started to rub his hands nervously.  
>"How long have you been following me?" I asked, "and during the DAY! Honestly Vlad, you know how dangerous that-"<br>"I've been vatching you ever since I made you forget about me. For at least 3 hours every time. And I've watched you at least once a week at night, vhile you've slept" (Edward Cullen creeper D: ) My face suddenly turned enraged.  
>"You've been watching me all this time?" I yelled. Igor's soft snickering could be heard in the backround. I threw him an angry look. He yelped, then shut right up. I looked back at Vlad. His nonworking sweat glads had suddenly turned on, and into high gear.<br>"Please understand Mina, I've only wanted to make sure you vere safe." He pleaded. I scowled.  
>"Did you hear all the nightmares?" I asked, glaring at him. I had never told anybody of this, not ever in my life, but when I was little, i had nightmares of Vlad (although I didn't know it was him), biting into the necks of young girls, then coming to me, fangs sharped and bared. Vlad sighed and nodded.<br>"I did..." he said sollumly. "They're vhy I waited so long to reawaken your memories..." I heard enough. I was already walking away, with no intention of stopping. "Mina!" he yelled after me. "I'll see you tomorrow, Count." I said in the dark cold tone I used with Chester, and I slammed the door to his castle that made all the bats cry out in surprise.

"Mina, hey, Mina!" I heard again, the very next day after I had turned him down. I sighed, my former dark cloud of doom hanging over my head. Chester noticed, because he slowed to a stop, holding an arm in front of his body, like I would rip out his throat with my teeth if he made one wrong move.  
>"What?" I hissed. Chester gulped.<br>"I was, uh, wondering if you wanted to hang out after school," he mumbled, trying to relax but figiting every three seconds. "Anything you want to do. Even just going as friends." I scowled, giving him the most evil glare I could muster.  
>"Look, chester," I sneered his name as if it were a pile of crap. "I am not interested in you. I am not interested in any man on this planet. Now, go away, or I swear I will hang you by the testicles with a giant fish hook." Chester seemed to understand my seriousness, because his eyes widened as if I just told him his mother gave birth to a litter of kittens. "Well, uh, ok, I guess." He muttered under his breath, scratching the back of his head. But I didn't hear. I was already storming off to my next class.<br>Only 3 more months, then I'd be rid of this horrible school, this horrible boy hanging on my shoulder, and, if I chose, all men in general.  
>I was really getting sick of the angry cloud hanging over my head, I'll tell you that much.<p>

I closed my eyes, laying back onto my bed, blaring heavy rock music right into my ears. Music always helped me forget, it made me relax as if nothing could be wrong in the world. I opened my eyes and looked at my clock. 10:00. Vlad would be here any second, and I'd have to listen to his desperate plea for forgiveness. I was prepared, and although i was still a little irritated, most of me had already forgiven Vlad (one of the curses of love, right?)  
>There was a soft knock on my window. I sighed, composing myself, then walked over and opened the window.<br>"Ok Vlad, let's hear it..." I said. But it wasn't Vlad.  
>"Who's Vlad?" A surprise Chester asked, already hauling himself over my window. I looked at him, shocked. "What the hell are you doing here?" I asked, outraged. Chester dusted himself off, then looked at me, his usually hopeful face already angry.<br>"Who the hell is Vlad? I thought you said you weren't interested in any man on this planet?" He accused, gripping his hands into fists. I breathed deeply, trying to figure out what to do. If I yelled for help, my dad would most likely lock up my window, and then I wouldn't get to see Vlad...  
>"He... is a she." I said, obviously lying, something I'm not good at. "She stayed over the other night, and we had a...an argument! Yeah, this HUGE arguement." I laughed nervously. Chester scowled, obviously catching my lie.<br>"I don't he is a she at all, Mina." He said, sneering my name the exact way i did to him. "I think he's your boyfriend. God, Mina, all you had to say is that you were in love with someone else! Do you claim me as a stupid blockheaded idiot?"  
>"Well, I have told you almost 9000 times that I wasn't interested." I said, crossing my arms. "And...he's a child hood friend. My feeling for him are only recent. It'll probably go away soon, just like hormones, you know, stupid teenage hood." I laughed nervously again, then immediately slapped my hand over my mouth. My damn nervous giggle, it always gave me away when I lied! Chester scowled.<br>"God, Mina, you are the worst, most inconciderate..." He growled, pacing back and forth, hands gripping his hair. I almost felt sorry for him, but I quickly shoved the thought out of my head. Chester was just being a butt hurt teenager who couldn't take a hint.  
>"Look, Chester, you need to leave." I said, my voice like iron bars. "And I mean now." Chester stopped his pace and looked up at me.<br>"No," he snarled. I jumped, but only a little. I furrowed my brow, grabbing my metalic bat again (its relieving its always there when I need it.)  
>"Look Chester, if you don't leave, I'll..." I hissed. But Chester was too quick. With three easy wide strides, he grabbed my wrists and shoved then against the wall so hard I dropped the bat. I gasped, my eyes immediately wide in surprise.<br>"Or what? You'll call for help?" he mocked, shoving my hands above my head. "I'm sorry, but I don't think so. You'd never get to see your beloved boyfriend again!" I looked around frantically.  
>'Vlad, where are you? Why aren't you helping?' I exclaimed in my head as Chester pushed his lips against mine. I shrunk back, disguisted. I tried to wiggle away, but he was surprisingly strong. He took both my hands with one, which didn't make it easier to escape, as he kissed me deeper, tracing his other hand down my body, playing with the edge of my shirt with his fingers. I wanted to scream.<br>'Vlad, oh god Vlad, please help...! I'm sorry I was angry, I'll never yell again! Please, please, just help!' I thought frantically, a tear slidding down my cheek. And the answer to my prayers pried Chester away from my weak little body with such force it could've been a hurricane.  
>"I vill hurt you," Vlad hissed through his teeth, his voice far more demonic than anything I've ever concived. I fell to the ground, so weak from shock. I looked up at Vlad. His face was sinister, like he could've ripped out Chester's eyes with his bare hands. Chester's anger was immediately replaced with shock and fear, and his demonic voice turned into a wimper of a sad, helpless dog "I vill do more to you thank hang you by the testicles," The Count seethed, obviously attempting to keep his voice down so he didn't wake my father. "I vill rip you apart limb from limb, rip out your throat, then feed you to my bats for ever laying a hand on my beloved Mina!" Chester started to cry, without shame, his voice weak with fear. Vlad glared, then released Chester. He fell to the ground, immediately scurrying onto his feet and running towards the window. Vlad stared at him the entire time, his teeth bared.<br>"And if you don't leave Mina alone, I vill crush you like the pathetic worm you are!" He raged, surprisingly only raising his voice a little. Chester whimpered, repeating 'I'm sorry,' and 'Don't hurt me' over and over, like it would save him, while climbing over the window as clutsy and as fast as he could. Only until Chester's head receeded over the panel did the Count turn around. I looked up at him. His eyes were shocked and scared as he knelt down and put his hands on my arms. I was starting to cry gently, even more than I did when I was little. "Mina, are you ok? Did he touch you? Oh god Mina, please tell me he didn't touch you. Mina, I'm sorry for the selfish man I was, please forgive me..." He ranted worriedly, pressing me against his chest in the warmest way a vampire could give. I kept crying, but I held him back, my soft sobs starting to receed away.  
>"I'm so sorry Vlad, I didn't mean to get mad at you, oh god Vlad, don't leave me, please don't go away...!" I exclaimed quietly, a soft cry emerging from my throat after. Vlad hugged me tigher, whispering softly in my ear, things like 'shhh', and 'its ok, mina, I'm here, i von't leave'. I slowly started to relax, my tears starting to die away. I pulled away, looking up at him.<br>"Please Vlad, I'm sorry, please forgive me for yelling at you," I said softly. "I'm so so sorry. Please don't be angry at me. Please, I'm so sorry..." Vlad gave a sad smile, pulling my bangs away from my forehead and kissing it gently like he did when I was little. "Its ok, Mina." He said softly. "I could never be angry at you." I looked up, up at his face. How did I end up with a vampire as a best friend? How did I end up becoming his little obsession, one he couldn't forget about, one that he would rescue me from anything? Vlad smiled.  
>"Mina, I love you." He said softly. "I vould do anything to keep you safe, even if it meant leaving this plane of existance forever..." Slowly, he tilted my chin up, kissing my lips softly. I closed my eyes, as if nothing in this world mattered. He pulled away, way to soon, and I opened my eyes sadly.<br>"I love you too, Vlad." I whispered softly. "Please, don't ever leave me, not for a second of my life." Vlad chuckled softly, wrapping his arms tightly around me, his cape in both hands.  
>"I vill never let you out of my sight." He said quietly. As we leaned in for another kiss, we were melted into darkness, going to the only place Vlad could live safely. The only place he could keep me safe.<br>Now, and the rest of forever.

"Chester, hey!" Chester heard. Well, he wasn't really hearing it. He wasn't hearing anything. Ever since that night, the night he had attempted to, lets face it, rape Mina, and the night she disappeared, he couldn't seem to live. He turned his head slowly, looking over at his obnoxious gamer friend, one he didn't care to the name of.  
>"What?" He said dully, as if it was a pain to speak. His friend cleared his throat, then laid a newspaper on the table.<br>"Did you see this?" He said, speaking softly so Chester wouldn't rip out his throat. Chester looked down. In a small collumn off to the side, there was a picture of Mina, wearing a dark long gown, and that man, that abonination of god, dancing. The title read, 'mysterious images at night- illusion, or the work of the supernatural?' Chester looked away, scowling.  
>"So what?" he remarked, a scowl appearing on his face. His friend cleared his throat.<br>"The girl, she looks like Mina, doesn't she?" He said, trying to pry Chester for something worth a conversation.  
>"I have no idea what you're talking about." Chester sneered, gripping onto the table. His friend sighed, taking the newspaper away.<br>"Well, if you want to know where she might be, read the article." He said, turning away. "Honestly, a little hope on your high school crush could brighten your day. Please, just read it." Without another word, he walked away just as the bell rang. The teacher immediately ranted on some incomprehesible jabber, something Chester had no intention to listening to. Chester looked down at the newspaper. The man's face was happy, as if he could look into Mina's eyes forever and not miss a thing. Chester scowled, then read the article. 'The old romanian styled castle at the edge of town, May 23rd. Two figures, a man and a girl, have been reported to have been seen everynight for the last 2 months dancing in the castle on top of the hill. Many people have confirmed that the girl looks like Mina Harper, age 17, a young girl who disappeared 2 months ago, and the man looks like the man of historical value, Vlad the Count. Researchers have yet to tell if the images are an illusion or something of the supernatural, as the castle and every opening to it is tightly sealed off, inpenitrable to any attempt to get in'. Chester looked back at the man, then the name. 'Vlad the Count'. Chester sneered. That was the name of the assumed vampire, the one who lived 700 years ago. Chester looked back at Mina's picture. Her face was happier than it had ever been when he had seen her, more lovely than what he could concieve. Chester shoved the paper into his backpack, then stood up abruptly.  
>"I need to go to the crapper. I'll be back." He said abrubtly, interupting whatever the teacher was saying. Without another word, he walked out of the room, heading for the doors of the school.<br>He would not have Mina. He would not entrance her and lure her into whatever sick fantacy he was planning.  
>He would make sure that Vlad would pay for ever stealing Mina away from him. <p>


	3. The War Begins

"Mistress, its time to wake up," Igor said coarsely. I opened my eyes slowly, seeing the dark blue hue of dusk light the room. I waved a hand in the air, showing I was awake. Igor slammed the door shut. I cringed. I could tell that Igor still dispised me, and he was only tolerating me for the Count.  
>I slowly sat up, scratching my head gently. I raised my head to look over the room I stayed in. It was large and elegant, and the bed was enormous, maybe even bigger than a king size bed. There were nearly 20 sheets, and I ended up kicking most of them off in the middle of the day, only to search blindly for them later.<br>There was a soft knock on the door a few moments later that sliced through my conciousness like a fog horn.  
>"Come in," I called. Steadily the Count's blue head popped through a crack in the door he had just opened.<br>"Good evening, Mina." The Count spoke in a polite tone. "Vonderful evening, isn't it?" I looked out the window. The night sky was completely clear with only a crecent moon shining, almost like a silver sliver in the blackness.  
>"Yes, I do believe it is." I replied. The Count smiled, showing his bright white teeth and his two fangs. I smiled back.<br>"I have a surprise for you, Mina." The Count said. Slowly, Igor trudged in with a box that was large but narrow. I looked at it curiously as Igor set it on the foot of the bed. I got out of bed slowly, then walked down to see what it was. The only thing I could disifer was that Igor had already gotten to it before me-Igor had already lazily painted over all the writing on it. I slowly opened the box up, to see a sleek, shiny, silver metal object. It was the first pieve of technology I've seen here- a laptop.  
>"Oh my god!" I exclaimed, taking it out of its small, slender box. "How...when... Thank you!" I set the laptop on the bed, ran up to Vlad, and threw my arms around his neck. He chuckled and hugged me back, although I think he was a little confused on what a hug was supposed to convey, exactly.<br>"I thought you vould like it, since this life is obviously very different from your old life." the Count replied. The words, your old life hung in my mind. My old life, where i went to school, I listened to Creature Feature to ungodly lengths in the night, where me and my dad would argue about my anti-socialness.  
>My dad...<br>"I LOVE it!" I said enthusiastically, shaking off the thought.  
>"Well come then, Mina." he said majestically. "The nights wasting away, and you're still not dressed!"<br>"That's because you haven't given me a CHANCE to, Vlad." I remarked playfully, (Igor made a gagging sound in the back round).The Count smiled, bwed, then silently left the room, Igor wasted no time to follow him. I smiled and looked at the laptop. It's been so long since I've had the luxury of technology. 2 months now, if I was correct (I didn't keep very good track of time).  
>I knelt down till the top of the bed was at eye level, then took out the laptop from its box. I clicked the 'power' button to turn it on, half expecting it not to comply. Surprisingly, it came to life with ease. It powered up, loading like only a new computer knew how to. Once it finished loading, the screen came up with the user 'Mina'. I smiled, clicking on the picture of the kitten. It loaded, then faded to a spectacular picture of a castle, the full moon rising over it. I laughed. It looked like the Count had already reached my new laptop before I had a chance to.<br>Out of pure curiousity, I clicked the wireless connection link. A window popped open, loaded for a second then displayed a box with a single network- 'Igor'. I stared at the screen blankly, then shivered at the thought of what Igor used the internet for. After a moment of dramatization, I closed the laptop, and stood up to get dressed.

"Mina!" the Count exclaimed when I walked out. I found it funny how he seemed so happy to see me whenever I walked into a room. 700 hundred years of Igor as company must've taken its toll.  
>"Hey," I said, my voice extremely unenthusiastic compared to his.<br>"Vhat vould you like to do tonight?" He asked. "Ve could play 'hide and seek', or I can teach you the art of impaling, or vhatever you vould like."  
>"Actually, I already thought we could steal Igor's wi-fi, and I could show you the internet. The Counts face scrunched up in puzzlement.<br>"The...internet?" he asked. I sighed and shook my head.  
>"Oh, my dear vampire, I have much to teach you." I remarked while sitting on the large, plush chair.<br>We started out with the things I first discovered, youtube. I showed him things like the lazer collection, the harry potter music video 'the ding dong song', and 'marble hornet' videos (apparently slenderman is real, and Vlad and him were great buds when they both lived in Europe). We then went to wikipedia, the infinate but sometimes innaccurate digital book of knowledge, and ended with facebook, which was flooded with thousands of notifications and messages since I've left.  
>"So, vith this...internet...you have unlimited access to vhatever it contains?" Vlad implied, studying the screen.<br>"Pretty much," I replied. "Although you can't believe everything that someone puts on it. For somethings, like wikipedia, information is pretty reliable, but other things like youtube and facebook, information is rarely true." The Count blinked a couple of times, then stood up straight.  
>"This is so confusing," he said, rubbing his face. I smiled.<br>"Well, how about you take 5," I replied. "Its not like I'm going anywhere." The Count nodded slowly, trudging out of the room. I looked at the screen, then clicked on the messages. There were more messages than I expected there to be. Lots were from aquaintances that I've met, saying they missed me and they wished me luck to wherever I was. There were tons from my dad and sister. My heart suddenly lurched so much I almost cried. I missed him so much...  
>Suddenly, I recieved a new message. I half expected it to be from my dad, but when I opened the message, all warmth seemed to leave the air.<br>It was from Chester.  
>'Mina. A war's coming, one that will destroy everything you know. Return to your human life and I'll spare the vampire. Stay with him, and you both will suffer.'<br>My breath began to quiver a bit, but I soon laughed. This was CHESTER, a video game nerd who had no life whatsoever. How could he possibly bring a war to a vampire, when over half of the world thought they didn't exist?  
>"YOU LET A CARPATHIAN KNOW OF THE MASTER'S EXISTANCE?"<br>I flung in my seat so fast that I almost fell out of it. Igor was staring at the screen, and me, his hands clutched into tight fists. I began to stutter, trying to explain I didn't know why Chester's last name was such a big deal, when the Count rushed into the room.  
>"VHAT?" He bellowed, so loud I shrunk back into my chair. Fear and confusion began to overtake my mind.<br>"This HUMAN GIRL'S silly admirer is a CARPATHIAN!" Igor yelled at the Count, in a manner he has never dared to before. The Count's mouth fell open, then looked at me. I shrunk back lower, trying to fight back the uncomfortable feeling of being the cause of the problem. The Count cursed under his breath, clenching and unclenching his hands and began to pace.  
>"That Chester boy...a Carpathian!" Vlad muttered, continuing to pace. I sat up a little.<br>"Why is that a big deal?" I asked quietly, almost not expecting an answer. The Count stopped pacing, standing silently in front of me.  
>"Long ago, vhen I still lived in Romania, there vere a group of Vampire Hunters, called Carpathian Knights. Thier loyalty resided to the Carpathian family, a family of great wealth and nobility. They killed any mythical creature they saw a danger-nephilim, demons, faeries, and, of course, vampires. For years, I vas forced into hiding because of them. But vhen the Carpathian family faced financial trouble, they disbanned the Carpathian Knights. Most left quietly, but few vowed that if any Carpathian needed their assistance again, they vould answer their call."<br>"Well, the Carpathian Knights had to have existed centuries ago," I thought outloud. "They should all be dead, and there's no way we can tell if Chester's a decendent of those Carpathians." Igor shook his head in disguist.  
>"Silly girl!" He exclaimed. "When the Carpathian Knights disbanned, the few that vowed eternal loyalty injected their own blood with the blood of another immortal!" My body went numb.<br>"So that means..."  
>"Yes, Mina." The Count said. "The Carpathian Knights are very much alive. There is a slim chance that Chester is not a true Carpathian, but there are very few people vith the Carpathian surname."<br>"We wouldn't have to worry about this if you had heeded my advice and stayed away from this girl!" Igor exclaimed. The Count eyes blazed and looked at Igor.  
>"ENOUGH!" Vlad raged. Igor shrunk back, all sign of hatred vanishing from his face. "If you so much as think of Mina again with an intention of harming her, I vill feed you to the werewolves!" Igor began to shake, cowering into the corner of a room. The Count faced me again, muttering under his breath. "Your sickening thoughts are bad enough, I don't need your disguisting emotions in my head too..."<br>"In your head?" I asked, utterly confused. The Count looked at me and sighed.  
>"I have telepathy." The Count said quietly. I began to die a little bit inside, praying that my life wasn't going to turn out like twilight.<br>"What's twilight?" Vlad asked out of the blue. I gave a sigh of relief. If worst comes to worse, I'm at least not like Bella. Suddenly, a lightbulb went off in my head. I hesitated for a moment, wondering if I should just think of the plan to him.  
>"Please, just speak the plan out loud." The Count said reassuringly. "I prefer speaking over thoughts." I exhaled quickly, then began my statement.<br>"Ok. If you have telepathy, the easiest solution on to finding out if Chester's a true Carpathian or not is through his thoughts." I explained. The Count nodded, concidering the idea.  
>"But what if he doesn't know if he is one or not?" Igor said quietly. The Count threw him a dirty look, but i sighed in defeat.<br>"Yeah, I guess that would be a problem..." I said quietly. "But...the least we could find out is if he knows about the Carpathian Knights or not." The Count's face gave way to a grin that was crossed between happiness and evil.  
>"Why don't you just kill the boy and get it over with?" Igor said unenthusiasticly.<br>"Because, if he IS a true Carpathian, the Carpathian Knights vould know ve killed him and come after us," The Count said quietly. "But I agree vith Mina. Tomorrow, I vill go out and see vhat I can pick up from this boy." I exhaled slowly and calmly, even though my nerves were on fire. All we were now was sitting ducks.  
>"Vell, in the meantime..." the Count started, "show me more of this internet. I vant to see vhat it says about me."<p>

It was my turn to pace the next night, while the Count was out. Igor had come to my laundry a few moments before, but besides that, nothing had happened. The only thing that I could do was pace and wait for Vlad to return with news.  
>I heard the slight creak of the huge door begin to open. I rushed out of the dining room, watching a tiny bat fly into the room. I sighed with relief as the Count rematerialized into his former self with a puff of smoke.<br>"Well?" I asked eagerly. "Is he a real Carpathian? Does he know about the knights?" The Count sighed, then looked at me. His eyes looked dark and worrysome.  
>"He knows." He said quietly. My heart was the first to drop, then my blood temperature, then the warmth of the Earth. Chester knew...<br>"He's planning an attack on the full moon of this month." Vlad said quietly. "Even though its the strongest time for us supernaturals, they've already have the werewolves on their side. And since you're not among them, they know you aren't one of them, and so does all of our allies." Vlad walked into the sitting room and sat down on the large chair, rubbing his face. My heart sank even lower. Chester was planning a war, one that was coming in around two weeks. We were helpless, allyless, with no option of escape.  
>Except...<br>"I have to return." I said quietly. "I have to return to my human life." The Count looked up rapidly, then at me.  
>"Mina..." he said softly, standing up. I shook my head.<br>"No. That's why he's causing all of this. He wants me back there." I said quietly. "You have no allies, while he has the Carpathian Knights, AND the werewolves..."  
>"Not so fast, Mina," someone interrupted. Me and the Count both turned our heads to see Igor, holding my laptop up high, his myspace page open.<br>With 7,000 friends, all supernatural of some kind.  
>"We have plenty of allies," Igor said. Me and Vlad smiled, while I laughed in astonishment.<br>"If you vish to go Mina, I will not stop you." The Count said. "But if you vish to stay here, I vill do vhatevers in my power to protect you." I started to laugh in disbelief, then said in the most commanding, dignified tone I could;  
>"Igor, call out everyone you know. The Carpathian Knights are not going to be easy to defeat."<p>

Return to Top


	4. Kuro

Chester stood in the cemetery as the cool breeze of autumn rolled in. He inhaled, the crisp scent of leaves filling the air. Chester loved the cemetery, not because he was 'gothic' or 'emo' or anything like that. He liked it because it was private. No one bothered him, no one cared. He had asked Mina to come with him once, in hopes that she'd actually say yes, and she had actually agreed for once. They went here, and they walked around and chatted, and for a while, Mina actually seemed like she was having fun. However, as soon as Chester opened his mouth about a video game he'd played, her expression immediately turned sour. He had gotten so close to knowing her, so close to making her happy. He wanted the chance to succeed, more than anything else. Now that…_vampire _had her, _his_ Mina, and every time he thought about it he felt like he was going to rip someone's head off. He lost her to something not even alive. The dead should stay dead, slowly decaying in their pathetic coffins. They should not be alive.

"Master Carpathia, the first unit has done a thorough investigation of the area. There has been no movement outside the castle, and it seems that the targets dare not exit the building."

Chester jumped at the sound of the voice. When he turned around, he relaxed when it was just Eric, his first in command.

"Have I ever mentioned that you look like Vincent Valentine from FF7?" Chester asked casually. "But, you know, with Romanian armor and all that jazz."

"Sir, I have no idea what this 'FF7' is, and you have more important matters to attend to." Eric droned dully, having not moved a muscle since he arrived. Chester sighed and turned around.

"Like what, Eric?" Chester asked mockingly. "WE have their castle under siege, by the sound of it. We'll have them within a week. What more can we ask for?" Like a response to his question, another knight appeared behind him, panting rapidly.

"My liege!" He cried raspily. "There has been movement at the castle. Several supernatural entities have closed in on the castle. Barriers have been put around them to prevent interference."

Chester spun around almost furiously. Eric even broke his statue like stance by turning his head towards the knight.

"Can any of the entities be identified?" Eric demanded. The knight shook with nervous terror.

"One of them… One of the entities is the Lich, Kurotsuki." The knight reported. Without warning, Chester ran up, pulled out Eric's sword from its sheath, and aimed it at the knight's head.

"What?" Chester exclaimed. The knight shook wildly, the cold blade pressed against his neck. Calmly and quickly Eric took the sword away from Chester and sheathed it again.

"Do not aim a blade at my men." Eric growled. "I may pledge my allegiance to you, but I can quickly disband it if you get in the way of our mission."

Chester clenched his fists furiously, refusing to meet Eric's gaze, and walked away.

"Keep me posted." Chester ordered loudly. "And make sure no one gets closer to that castle."

"For the love of God and all that is holy."

Several people hissed as soon as I mentioned 'God', but I didn't care. One night, _one bloody night_ that I decided to sleep, and the entire castle is filled with monsters, from Frankenstein to a headless man. I stood in front of my room, dumbstruck.

"Mina! Mina, you're avake!" a voice shouted. I looked down the hall to see Vlad with a glass of blood in one hand and his arm around a slightly hunched, bald old man.

"Vlad! What. The. Hell!" I asked furiously, but quietly enough to not involve the entire house in on the argument.

"Vhat did I do?" Vlad asked innocently.

"You decide to invite everyone over for a party the one night I decide to sleep?" I hissed.

"You told Igor that it vas ok to, and it vas the night they decided to show up!" Vlad defended. "But please, Mina, ve can talk about this later. I'd like you to meet my cousin, Count Olaf! Igor managed to find him over the interbulb!"

"Um, Vlad, it's called the internet…" I input silently, as Count Olaf smiled widely. In his mouth protruded many razor sharp teeth, almost like a sharks, upon incredibly swollen gums.

"Ich möchte ein Stück Kuchen!" He exclaimed excidedly, jumping in place franticly.

"Es gibt noch mehr Kuchen in der Küche, Olaf." Vlad replied. I stared at them both blankly as Vlad's cousin hurriedly shuffled back down the hall. Vlad waved good bye, and I crossed my arms.

" Vhat did I doooo?" He asked pleadingly. I sighed irritably.

"I know the Carpathian Knights are horrendously powerful, and we need all the allies we can get," I stated calmly. "But why does everyone have to show up the one lone night I decide to sleep?" Vlad gulped.

"Mina, it's not my fault!" Vlad exclaimed. "Tonight it the full moon! Most supernaturals can only travel great distances during this time of night." His eyes widened suddenly as he said that.

"Wait, Mina, come with me!" He exclaimed, running down the corridor again.

"Hey, where are you going?" I yelled, running after him.

"There's a voman vho vould like to meet you!" Vlad cried out. "You have to meet Kurotsuki!"

We went down to Vlad's dungeon, the one that Igor had locked him up in for several weeks. Few candles were lit, and I huddled under Vlad's cape as we walked down the barren path.

"Vlad, where are we going? There's water dripping from the veiling. Is this place even stable?" I asked as we walked down. Vlad looked up, not breaking his stride.

"Kurotsuki is not like other supernaturals." He said calmly. "She can only survive underground. Luckily, we could comply with this need, but the only way to do that is for her to stay in the dungeon." I huffed, my voice echoing through the walls.

"Who is she, anyway? And why is her name 'black moon' in Japanese?" I asked (I had my spree of anime loving, and I had picked up a few words along the way). Vlad looked at me curiously.

"You know Japanese?" Vlad asked inquiringly. He stared at me for a moment, then shook his head. "Anyvay, I don't know vhy her name is Kurotsuki, but I do know that she is a Japanese lich, and she's going to help deliver us over half of our army." A sudden wave of anxiety flooded through my body.

"A lich?" I asked weakly. "You seriously mean a lich…? Like, a dead person that brings other dead people to life kind of lich?" The last word rang through the dungeon, the word lich echoing throughout the dungeon. I shivered.

As far as my supernatural research has gone, a lich was bad news. Liches were magicians who were unsatisfied with their human lives, wanted to live longer, gain more power, what have you. Basically, they were greedy and unsatisfied, and over half the time, they used zombies as their servants and slaves.

And all those kids laughed at me for saying the worlds going to end with zombies.

"Vell, yes, a lich." He said. "However, she is not like the European lich. I use lich because I have no better vord. A necromancer, maybe, but a lich seems to categorize her better." I shivered. From how that sounded, that just means that she was extremely greedy.

"Ah! Here we are!" Vlad exclaimed. I shivered as he slowly pulled the knob, and the door eerily opened to reveal…

"Oh my god…"

She was nothing like I expected. Instead of a skeleton, she looked ordinarily human. She was beautiful, in ten words or less. She was dressed as a geisha in a kimono of silver, blue, and white. Her hair had many tiny petals in it, and her face was outrageously beautiful. There was only one thing that set her apart from an ordinary human, and that was the whites of her eyes were completely black, which was a stark contrast against her snow-white irises.

"Ahh, this must be Mina." Kurotsuki said softly. I walked in, almost entranced. Vlad followed, keeping a sure hand on my shoulder. Kurotsuki smiled, allowing me to step closer. I stopped about a foot or two in front of her, and bowed my head in respect. She lifted one hand.

"Please, no need to be so formal." She said. "I may look like a geisha, but I am aware that humans in this part of the world are not aware of ancient Japanese customs." I breathed deeply and looked back up. Vlad patted my shoulder reassuringly, and then addressed Kuro.

"Kurotsuki, I vould like to mention how nice it is to have you accompany us." He said gracefully, bowing boldly. Kuro chuckled gently.

"Please, dear Count, it is my pleasure." Kuro replied. "Besides, I am not like other supernaturals. Things of this world cannot harm me. And I am always eager to help when it comes to affairs of the heart." I felt my cheeks redden slightly, but Kuro continued to talk.

"I asked you, Mina, to come down here for a reason." Kuro said calmly, but it set an eerie mood to the moment. "I only help people who I deem worthy of my help. If I believe you do not require my assistance, then I will leave. If I believe you could use my help, I will stay." Vlad tensed up a bit, but I wrapped an arm around his waist, which made him relax a little bit.

"How can I prove that we need your help?" I asked calmly. Kuro beckoned me over with a wave of her hand. I stepped up to her obediently, and Vlad began to tense up again. Kuro slowly rested her hand on my head, and…

My entire life flashed before my eyes. I saw my mother die giving birth to me, and my father holding me close. I saw my older sister scowl as a baby me cried and cried for candy. I saw when I was little, playing with my dolls and toys.

Then, I saw the first time I met Vlad. I swear, he looks exactly the same now as he always has. I saw the times we shared, all the tea parties and playing, from reanimating my doll to being on the ghoul's tribunal. All those times made a huge smile appear on my face.

Then came the incident…

That's when everything changed. I saw me, confused and scared, my dolls and toys had turned suddenly lifeless.. The nightmares came, and my dad would attempt to hug me to sleep so I would stay calm. They went away after a while, but I never seemed to fully recover. I began to heavily wear black, which made my red hair stand out like fire. I'd wear lots of bracelets and silver, and my ears became metal whores. I wore thick, heavy eyeliner. I looked like a depressed burn out, and it looked like my dark cloud of doom was visible to the whole world. I saw every moment I was called vampira, every time a kid bullied me, and every time I turned down Chester. Then, I saw the moment I reunited with Vlad. It almost felt like being lifted from freezing water. I saw the moment Chester tried to rape me, and how Vlad scared him off effortlessly. Then came the Carpathians, and the monsters, and now…

"Hm…interesting." Kuro said softly. I blinked and I was back in the dungeon, with Kuro right in front of me. I looked up at her. She took her hand off my forehead and turned around, pondering to herself. "Very interesting…"

"Vhat?" Vlad exclaimed. I turned around and to my surprise, Vlad had bags under his eyes and he looked like he had been pulling his hair out. My mouth dropped open, and I looked back at Kuro. How long had that taken for Vlad to turn out like this?

"Its no wonder, Vlad that you have fallen in love with this girl." Kuro said slowly. "What I cannot understand is how you allowed yourself to do so." Vlad straightened a bit, confused. Kuro continued. "You see, after examining Mina's memories, I have observed that she has much spirit and courage, especially to bear through life after you erased her memories. However, other than that, there is nothing special about her. No gifts, no talents. Vlad, you are 700 years old, you've lived a countless number of lives in a countless number of nations. You know all the European languages, and you've reigned as one of the superior vampires for centuries. How could you fall in love with a girl that holds so little in comparison?" Vlad straightened up a little bit, almost as if to give an entire speech in protest, but all he said was:

"I don't know."

Both Kuro and I were speechless by this. Vlad stood there, almost defeated.

"I love her. I don't know vhy. I've never loved a voman like her, not even vhen I vas alive." Vlad admitted. "I'm helpless vithout her. I'm desperate for her. I don't vant her to suffer the Carpathians vrath just because I am a vampire. I'd rather make her forget me again than to do that, even though it vas the vorst decision I've ever made. I just…I don't know vhy I love her. But I do."

We both stood there, utterly awestruck. Vlad had just laid everything out in the open, in front of our potential ally. He had no way to prove Kuro I was special. He looked like he was at his last end.

Suddenly, Kuro burst out laughing. I blinked and looked back at her, but I wish I didn't. Slowly, like a fading illusion, her soft beautiful face started to melt away, a jet black skull remaining. Her flesh began to decay, and her hair began to turn white and disheveled. I stared in horror as the beautiful geisha melted into a jet black cadaver with snow white hair, standing up on end as if it had been electrocuted. Her inner lich had showed itself.

"Hahahaha, this is delightful!" Kuro cried out. "Two lovers, one without need of love but committing to it anyway, the other so dependent on it he's willing to give it up just so it can live!" Kuro let out another laugh. "The tragic love tale! It never fails to show itself! Oh, children, what do you need? Jiang Shi? Ghouls? Revenants? It's yours! Hell, your love has even shattered my illusion!" Kuro continued to cackle and laugh, as I backed up towards Vlad. He put an arm around me reassuringly. I stared at the once beautiful woman, who pulled out her fan in a flash. A faint smoke followed the fan, and she began to perform a beautiful dance with it, in her not so beautiful form, the faint smoke forming in a circle around her. She momentarily faced us.

"Mina Harper and Vladimir the Count, I officially lend my services to you. I vow to do what is in my power to assist you and your cause." Kuro began to dance again, and muttered softly. "But is that enough to save you?" I stepped back again, Kuro laughing like an evil witch. Vlad backed up with me this time, almost with the set mindset as I had. Kuro looked towards us.

"This smoke is poisonous for any being on this plane of existence to breathe." She said. "If you don't want to become like the undead that I'm trying to rise, I'd suggest you leave now." I didn't argue with that. I quickly ran out as fast as I could out of that dreaded dungeon, Vlad following me in his tiny bat form. Kuro's words echoed though my head as I ran out of that cursed place.

_But is that enough to save you?_

"Ugh! I hate liches! Hate hate hate hate HATE!" I stormed as I paced through my room. It was day now, and all the monsters had resided in one of the guest bedrooms or the dungeon. Vlad was laying on my bed, completely spread out, looking exhausted. I kept pacing back and forth, the meeting with the lich haunting my memory.

"I feel like I've been mind raped…" I mumbled, fidgeting irritably. Vlad inhaled deeply, even though I'm pretty sure it was just a reflex.

"Liches are a very tricky business…" Vlad said quietly. Finally, after pacing seemed to do destroy my nerves even more than help them, I collapsed on the bed, just as exhausted as Vlad.

"We won't have to go through that for every monster we need to ally ourselves with, will we…?" Vlad laughed, indicating that the answer was a no.

"Liches are the vorst of the supernaturals. They're tricky, but they're powerful. With Kurotsuki, the Carpathians vill even have trouble crushing us." Vlad said reassuringly. I took a deep breath and sighed. At least we wouldn't have to do that again.

Slowly but steadily, Vlad rolled over till his face was right next to mine, wrapping his arms around me. I blushed like crazy.

"I'm so sleepy, Mina. So sleepy…" he muttered. I blinked at him for a moment, then I realized he had fallen asleep. I sighed and rested my head against his.

"What am I going to do with you, Vlad?" I asked playfully. Then, I closed my eyes and let sleep engulf me.

"Mina! Master! Wake up! Wake UP!"

I jolted awake, seeing Igor's face above mine.

"AH!" I screamed, jumping up. A faint force pulled me back a bit. I looked down to see Vlad's hand. Under my shirt.

"VLAD!" I yelled, hitting him on the head as hard as I could. He cried out in pain, taking his hand from under my shirt to hold onto his head.

"Vhat did I do _now_?" Vlad pleaded weakly. Igor's face turned red with anger.

"You IDIOTS! We don't have time for that!" Igor raged, beginning to pull me off the bed. I stood up, walking to the window.

"What Igor? I highly doubt it's something that important-"I said as I opened the curtain to the window. There, outside the castle, was the entire Carpathian army, with swords and shields at ready, with Chester at the lead.

"Well, you know, THAT'S KIND OF IMPORTANT!" Igor raged. Vlad stood behind me, and I quickly grabbed his hand. Kuro's words, like a raging hurricane, rang through my head.

_But will that be enough to save you?_


	5. The Night of No Return Final Act

Mina breathed deeply as she stared through the window at the terrible army. Chester stood in the front, talking to a man in medieval armor and long black hair. She gulped and looked at Vlad. He didn't take his eyes off Chester for a second. His eyes were dark with hatred.  
>"Has Kuro created the front line of defense yet?" He asked Igor, not looking at him. Igor had a scowl on his face.<br>"She's still busy. She says waking that many dead take a while. She also says you can send out some people and if they die she can just resurrect them, too." Igor growled. "The dirty whore."  
>"Stop, Igor." Vlad hissed. Igor shut up, but he still had the same scowl on his face. Vlad closed his eyes, pinching the top of his nose.<br>"This is not good…" Vlad muttered. I looked back at the army. Chester's eyes were locked on me; his usually bright eyes were almost as lifeless as a dead dog's. I stared at him back, shaking a bit. All I could ask was why. Why would he do this? To win me back? Or was this just because Vlad was a vampire? Or was it a bit of both? What could drive him this far to become a monster?  
>I suddenly slammed my fist against the glass, my eyes locked on Chester's. He jumped a bit, staring back at me. The first sign of Chester innocence shined through his dead face, his expression confused and hurt. I glared at him as I made a slicing motion across my throat with my thumb. He stared at me, dumbfounded, then looked suddenly to Vlad. His eyes opened wide. I blinked a bit and looked at Vlad back. How dumb was he? How did he get 'I'm gonna kill Vlad' when I'm making a kill motion while looking at him? I rolled my eyes and stared back at him. He looked at me again, his eyes pleading. I scowled, pulling the curtains closed. I had had enough of his bull.<br>"Well, what's our game plan?" I asked Vlad. He looked at me, shocked.  
>"Do you think I know something? Because if I do, I'd be happy to know it too." Vlad panicked. Mina sighed, trying not to laugh at Vlad's air-headedness at a time like this.<br>"I mean, what should we do?" I repeated. Vlad blinked a couple times and calmed down, but didn't look up at me.  
>"I don't know. He von't stop until you're his." He muttered. I bit my lip and sat on the bed, holding my face up with my hands. There had to be something that we were overlooking. Something…<br>Ok. Chester loved me. I kept blowing him off for Vlad. He tried to rape me; Vlad rescued me and took me away. Chester got butt hurt and decided the Carpathian Knights would get me back. He wouldn't go that far if Vlad wasn't a vampire though. So…the vampire angle. I love something dead that's not Chester. Chester's delicate ego couldn't take that. He loved me too much. The key was there somewhere… What, did he think I was going to become a vampire? I thought he was obsessed with me enough to realize that I wouldn't do that. And why was he in such a hurry to get me back? If he took his sweet time, he could've killed Vlad discreetly somehow, probably with one of his Carpathians, but why didn't he…?  
>It snapped into focus in a split second. Chester's greatest fear was that I loved Vlad so much that I'd want to become a vampire. He was in such a hurry because he wanted to stop me. He wanted to show me him as a human was just as good as one of the undead. He was trying to prevent his greatest fear from coming to life.<br>"Excuse me, Count?" A timid voice asked. The door slowly opened to a small mummy girl, with blood shot eyes. "Kuro said the first line is up, and the second line is soon to come." Vlad relaxed, exhaling loudly in relief.  
>"Thank god… Ve have some time…" Vlad exasperated, putting a hand on his head. I looked at Vlad, curiously.<br>"Vlad, what all can you do as a vampire?" I asked. Vlad blinked suddenly.  
>"Um... read minds, but that makes me feel too invasive and creepy. Turn into a bat…Advanced regeneration…Turn into fog…Hypnotism…"<br>"Fog! That's it!" I exclaimed. Vlad jumped as I lept up and went to the dresser, scrambling though old clothing. "We have to make Chester believe I'm a vampire!"  
>"Oh, that's rich, you, a vampire." Igor groaned. "We really are doomed."<br>"Shut your stupid face, Igor." I snapped, holding up an elegant enough dress. It looked like a corset with long flowing cloth from the bottom, and sleeves that just barely attacked to show off the shoulders. The cloth was ripped, and its color was a deep, dark red. I stared at it in amazement on why it had taken me this long to find it.  
>"Ok, what we do is we paint my skin blue, like Vlad's." I explained, turning around with the dress. "Then I go out to the main fields, where Chester is. Chester will be too horrified at my 'vampire appearance' to attack me, and I attack him. Once I've got him cornered, I'll tell him to call off the attack, and if he doesn't…We can convince him." Vlad stared at me in horror.<br>"Mina, no! That is too dangerous! I von't allow it!" Vlad gripped his hands into fist as he exploded. I sighed.  
>"Vlad, you'd be there too." I explained. "You'd be hidden around me as fog, and if Chester gets close to attacking me, you can protect me." Vlad and Igor stared at her, dumbstruck.<br>"That's almost crazy enough to work.." Igor muttered, staring at me. I smiled, and then looked to Vlad. His face wasn't vacant, but it was blank, a sign that he was thinking deeply. I stared at him expectantly. Finally he gave a sigh of defeat, straightening his coat.  
>"Alright, I'll allow this…" Vlad muttered. "But I get to sit in here while you change."<p>

Chester stared at the castle, almost horrified. Mina was going to do it. She was going to kill herself and turn herself into a vampire. He was too late.  
>Suddenly skeletons began to protrude out the ground, some with flesh still attacked, some purely bones. Thousands of them seemed to appear at once, being no end to them.<br>"Don't worry, sir, this is child's play." Eric remarked calmly. He waved his hand, and quickly hundreds of knights charged at them, swinging their swords like they were merely weeds. However, to their surprise, the zombies began to put theirselves back together. The knight's all stood at them in horror, discovering that they were halfway through the hoard and their only escape was closing in on them.  
>"Um…that's new." Eric commented, his eyes wide in surprise. Chester stared at the knights, terrified, but he didn't take his eyes off as they were torn limb from limb.<br>_What are you doing? _A spot in Chester's consciousness asked. _Look at yourself!_  
>Chester looked down. He was decked in armor, which was probably too heavy for him. Eric stood nearly a foot above him, his face blank. He looked back at the dying knights. He hadn't even blinked as they had died.<br>_See? Who's the monster here? You or Vlad? _Chester asked himself. Just as Chester opened his mouth to tell Eric to postpone the battle, another voice called out.  
><em>Don't be so naive, you dumb ass.<em> The voice said. _Vlad should've been dead long ago. Mina shouldn't even be with him. He should be 6 feet under, or even deeper. He's a disgusting speck, and she chose him over you! You can't just kill him; you have to make her pay for the hurt she caused you._  
>Chester gripped the cloth that covered his chainmail. He could still feel it. Seeing Mina with him…it was unforgivable. How could he just tear his heart out like that? For HIM? He wasn't even alive!<br>_Chester, don't listen to him! _The first voice exclaimed. _If you loved Mina, you wouldn't do it!_  
><em>Shut up, <em>the second voice hissed. _He's made his decision._  
>Chester looked up at the battlefield. The countless number of zombies were coming towards them. Chester scowled.<br>"Eric, take care of them." Chester ordered coldly. Eric nodded, then waved his hand again. A new group of knights holding large wine bottles came forward. Chester looked at it through the corner of his eyes. The solution. It killed any supernatural that touched it. It slowly ate at immortality, making it perfectly safe for humans. They had recruited a couple people from the Westboro Baptist church. All they had to say was 'god hates fags, lets go kill demons' and plenty of people volunteered their lives for the cause. The knights took a swig of the liquid, swishing it around their mouth, and then held up a lighter. They sprayed out the solution through the fire, the liquid instantly catching fire. The fire reached far enough to halfway through the zombies, suddenly their loud cries in pain engulfing the night. It'd take a while to kill the zombies, since they were already dead, but it wouldn't take too long till the horde was completely burned to a crisp.  
>"You continue here. I'm going after him." Chester sneered, walking past Eric. Eric's hand flew out in front of him, holding out a long, silver sword, tipped with black.<br>"Take this." Eric muttered. "It has the solution engraved in the stone on the edge. Any immortal that you cut with it will perish." Chester stared at the finely crafted sword and took it into his hands. It weighed as light as a feather.  
>"Thank you, Eric." Chester muttered. Eric nodded as he waved his hand again, another group of humans marching out of the army. Chester looked at one lone road that went around the battlefield, carved into the edge of the cliff, surrounded by rock and debris. It was obvious that no one had walked it in years.<br>Chester was going to change that. And he was going to make sure blood was sprayed across the rock when he was finished.

"Holy fuuuuck this is long…"  
>Chester realized that he had seriously underestimated the length of the path. He was leaned against the wall, staring at the end of the path. He looked at the castle to his right. It DID appear closer, but he could tell he was still far from reaching it.<br>Chester groaned as he sat on a rock placed conveniently nearby, stretching out his legs and rolling his neck. He couldn't sit here long, he knew that he didn't have much time.  
><em>Media nox, Obscura nox..<em>  
>Chester looked up and around him. That sound...it couldn't have been. It sounded so familiar. Like he had heard it before.<br>_Crudelitas animarum..._  
>Chester stood up on his feet now. He knew that tone. Mina used to sing it all the time. It was some weird German band...E Nomine! He remembered now. It was a weird mix between techno and rock, but Mina loved it, and when she didn't notice him, she hummed it under her breathe.<br>_Coponat sonat..._  
>Chester held his breath. The voice was coming closer.<br>_Duo decies..._  
>A hand appeared on Chester's shoulder. He screamed and jumped, drawing his sword and pointing it to the body attached to the hand. A lone squeek escaped his throat as he saw Mina, his Mina, with ice blue skin and a deep red dress on. She smiled, razor sharp canines protruding.<br>"Mitternacht." She muttered. Chester took a step back, holding the sword out towards her. His hands shook like crazy as he stared at her. His Mina, the one he knew and loved, the warm smile that she always had, the light eyes...gone. Gone to a now empty corpse that had her face.  
><em>Kill her. KILL HER!<em> the second voice exclaimed. But he couldn't obey. All he could do was look at Mina, horrified. She couldn't be a vampire. It was impossible. There was some sort of mistake. He couldn't just kill her. Mina couldn't be gone... there must be some sort of soul still in her, somewhere...  
><em>Face it, Chester<em> the first voice chimed. _Just because he's a vampire, doesn't mean he's lifeless._  
>"NO!" Chester screamed. His trembling body tightened, and he held his sword up to Mina's throat. Mina gritted her teeth, then gripped onto the sword with her bare hands. Chester's eyes widened. She shouldn't be able to touch it.<br>"Don't you EVER point a blade at me, worthless rat." Mina hissed. She threw the sword off to the side like it was nothing, causing Chester to sway. After he regained his footing, he stared at Mina, glowering.  
>"Don't you call me a worthless rat, you disgusting caucus." Chester hissed back. Suddenly he swung up, taking the sword with him. Mina held her forearm up to block, a faint mist following it. The mist and the metal made contact...<br>"AAAAAAGHHHHHHHHHH!"  
>Mina and Chester's eyes widened. The mist suddenly began to poor into a concentrated form, and Vlad materialized, gripping onto his torso. Blood was already soaking through the tux he wore. Chester looked at the sword with amazement. The black edge was lined with blood.<br>"VLAD!" Mina screamed, falling to her knees and holding onto him. She gasped in horror at his wound. He grunted, holding onto it.  
>"Vhat...vhat is this sorcery?" Vlad exclaimed. "It...it won't heal!" Chester stared at him in triumph, while Mina's eyes filled with looked at her.<br>_That's right, you dirty whore. _Chester thought darkly. _Now you'll live forever, alone. _Tears began to stream down Mina's cheeks, washing away the blue. Chester's expression became confused as he examined her face better. The blue..it wasn't like normal skin. It looked more like...like...  
>It looked like body paint.<br>Chester's expression widened as he looked at Mina and Vlad. Mina was sobbing now as Vlad's skin began to turn a very gray shade, slowly, very slowly. Mina threw her head towards Chester.  
>"YOU!" She screamed, standing up in rage. Chester took a step back, dumbstruck. Her eyes were still full of tears, but her teeth were bared. "WHAT DID YOU DO?" Chester looked at the blade.<br>"Its-Its something that the Carpathians invented!" Chester exclaimed. "It destroys immortality!" Mina's eyes widened, then narrowed.  
>"Chester, god fucking damn it! Why couldn't you just accept it? Why couldn't you accept that I love Vlad? Why couldn't you just leave me alone? Why couldn't you just accept that I just. Don't. Love you?" Mina collapsed onto her hands and knees, sobbing uncontrollably. Chester looked down at her as she sobbed. He looked at her face, the face he had loved for so long, and for the first time ever, he pitied her. He pitied her for having to deal with his bull. He pitied her for how he barraged her. He pitied her for falling in love with Vlad, causing him to flood with jealousy. He pitied her because he existed.<br>Mina continued to sob as she drug herself over to Vlad, wrapping her arms around him. He continued to groan and grunt in pain, but he wrapped an arm around her, holding her close as his black hair began to turn a dark shade of gray. She began to sob louder.  
>"Don't go Vlad...Don't go!" Mina exclaimed. A voice chuckled overhead as he sobbed. Chester looked up to see Eric, his long black hair flowing in the wind.<br>"You fell for it. I can't believe you fell for it!" Eric exclaimed. For the first time ever, Chester saw Eric smile, and he wish he hadn't. His mouth was full of razor sharp teeth. Eric raised his hands in the air and laughed.  
>"How easy it is to influence a young man's mind! Especially when he's captivated by love!" Eric exclaimed, his voice sounding like he had just experienced the greatest thing ever. Chester stared at him in confusion.<br>"What are you talking about, Eric?" Chester called up to him, gripping onto the sword. Eric looked down at him, still smiling.  
>"Don't tell me you didn't notice. That little voice in your head? The one filled with anger and blood lust?" Eric mocked. Chester's eyes widened as Eric laughed again. Mina looked up at him, tears still streaming down her eyes.<br>"You...you're behind this?" Chester exclaimed, gritting his teeth. "You drove me to become this...this THING?" Eric laughed again, gripping onto his sides.  
>"Of course I am!" Eric called, his eyes wide with madness. "Don't tell me you expected me to follow you like a little dog! You, my leader? HA! You're just a pawn!" Chester's eyes narrowed.<br>"Eric, once I'm done with you, I will-"  
>"KILL YOU!" Mina exclaimed. Chester's head whipped around to see Mina, standing up weakly, Vlad gently layed on the ground. Her face was distraught as she stared at Eric.<br>"HA! You think you can hurt me?" Eric taunted, staring at her. "You're just a weakling! A HUMAN!"  
>"Unfortunately for you, I do some crazy squats." Mina growled. Suddenly she took off, grabbing Chester's sword from his hands, and in three easy jumps, she was at Eric's level. Eric stared at her dumbfounded, trying to back away. Mina didn't allow that though. In one swift motion she swung the sword, and in an instant Eric's head was chopped clean off, nothing to remain. Eric dropped to his knees as Mina landed, and his lifeless body fell to the ground. Mina looked over at Vlad. His state had gone from bad to worse. His gray hair was now snow white, and his skin was turning dangerously gray.<br>"Vlad!" Mina screamed as she dropped the sword. She jumped down from the ledge, but when she landed she took of in a dead sprint to Vlad, immediately landing to his side. Chester followed as Vlad opened his eyes slowly, looking up at Mina.  
>"Oh, Mina...hello..." Vlad murmured, his breath frail and week. Mina quickly crossed her legs, then picked up Vlad's head and set it in her lap.<br>"Hush, don't talk now, don't." Mina murmured back. She looked up at Chester, almost desperately. "Don't you have something that can heal him? A potion? An elixir? A fricken Final Fantasy phoenix down?" Chester looked at her hesitantly, then pulled out a tiny vial of a sparkling clear liquid, which glistened in the light of the full moon.  
>"I have phoenix tears, they're supposedly supposed to cure anything, but I don't know if it'll cure...this..." Chester looked down at Vlad's wound. It looked burnt at the edges, and the flesh appeared to decay. Vlad closed his eyes, sighing a bit.<br>"Don't close your eyes! Don't you dare close your eyes!" Mina yelled, grabbing Vlad's shoulders. Vlad's eyes darted open, looking up at Mina. His eyes were becoming more and more dull by the moment.  
>"Mina...if I don't make it..."<br>"Don't say that! You'll live through this! For god's sake, you're the Count!" Mina exclaimed. She threw a glare at Chester, who jumped a bit, unscrewing the top of the vial. He gently held the vial over the wound, letting little droplets fall on them. The tears sizzled as they hit the wound, but Vlad didn't appear to feel pain. He just continued to look at Mina.  
>"Mina...please..." Vlad muttered. Mina bit her lip, holding him closer, shaking a bit. Vlad laughed a bit, then held up his hand to Mina's cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb.<br>"Just know...that I love you. And I have no regrets." Vlad whispered. Mina shook more, holding Vlad's hand against her cheek as more tears streamed down.  
>"I love you too." Mina choked. Chester sat back down, the vial completely empty. The wound was beginning to close now. Mina looked at the wound in disbelief, laughing nervously.<br>"See, Vlad? You're fine. You'll pull through this. It's all ok." Mina looked back at Vlad.  
>His eyes were closed.<br>"Um...Vlad?" Mina asked, setting his hand down. "Vlad, you can wake up now." No response. Mina laughed again, panicked this time. "C'mon, rise and shine. It's time to go home. We have to tell everybody that its over." No response.  
>"Mina-" Chester began to say, but Mina interrupted him, swiping away the vial, attempting to shake out more phoenix tears onto the wound.<br>"Vlad! C'mon, this isn't funny!" Mina exclaimed, panicked now. She looked at the vial in disgust, throwing it against the wall. She frantically grabbed Vlad's head and pushed her lips against his, kissing him deeply. Still no response.  
>"Vlad! I don't know what you're doing, but stop it!" Mina cried. "Please! D-do you want to touch my boobs? You can touch them as much as you want! Just please, don't leave me! I'd do anything for you, I'd even become a vampire! Just please, don't go, don't go!" Mina stared down at Vlad's face, her tears marking specks across his cheeks. Chester attempted to put a hand on Mina's shoulder, but she shrugged it away, burying her face in Vlad's chest.<br>"You can't die. You can't die. Not yet. Not now. Not after we've came so far. Vlad, come back...Vlad...I love you..."


	6. Final Chapter

**Five years later** 

I sighed as I folded the last T-Shirt in the dresser. I caught a glimpse of my reflection in the old, weathered mirror. I had grown a lot since I first came to live here. It was in a way I couldn't describe. Maybe it was just my boobs. I don't know, but it almost pained me to leave this place. I looked away and packed my T-Shirt.

"Mommy?" A tiny voice called. I turned around to see Desdemona, my little 4 year old girl. She had black hair, just like her father, but she looked exactly like me when I was young. I smiled and waved my hand over. She scuttled over quickly, then climbed onto the bed. It took all that I had not to laugh.

"Mommy, where did mister Igor go?" Dess asked. I smiled and ruffled her hair.

"Mister Igor decided to move." I replied. "He...he found someone else he wanted to live with." I didn't tell her that Igor couldn't stand Vlad anymore, and decided to be a caretaker for one of the werewolf clans. Dess didn't need to know that her father was a vampire. Sure, she knew about werewolves and fish people, frankenstein and zombies, but something had always refrained me from telling her. A few weeks ago, she even met Kurotsuki. Only I could see her hideous appearance. Dess, however, admired at her black eyes.

"All packed?" A voice asked. We both turned around to see Vlad. Dess smiled and jumped off the bed, running to her father.

"Daddy, you're home!" Dess exclaimed. Vlad chucked, picking her up off the ground. I smiled and looked at the two. The incident hadn't killed him. Although we were really afraid for a long, long time. He was asleep for at least 6 months before he finally woke up. But, whether it was good or not, the phoenix tears hadn't completely healed him. The Carpathians' poison had still ate away at Vlad's immortality, along with his supernaturalness. Vlad no longer had his blue skin, or sharp teeth. Although he still enjoyed wearing his old clothing, he couldn't turn into a bat, or hypnotize people.

Vlad had done something no supernatural has done before. He had become a human.

"Dess, vhy don't you go play with Uncle Chester for a little bit?" Vlad commented, looking at his darling daughter. Dess smiled, jumping up and down.

"Then can we eat cake and have a tea party, Daddy?" Dess exclaimed excitedly. Vlad laughed, kissing her on the forehead.

"Of course we can, dear." Vlad replied. He slowly set Dess down, and the two of us watched her shuffle away. Vlad closed the door behind him.

"So, are we all set?" I asked. Vlad came over to me and sat on the bed.

"Yep. Our new home is ready to be moved into, and I have King Tut and Frankenstein villing to vork the first shift Monday." Vlad replied. I smiled. Since Vlad had become human and Dess had been born, we decided we really didn't need this entire castle to live in. So, we both decided to make a museum out of the castle. Vlad would be the manager of it, of course. He knew the castle inside and out, the history behind it and what significance it held. Although our new home held nothing in comparison to it, at least it was still old and gothic like the castle, instead of a typical suburb.

Vlad rubbed at a sunburn on his hand. I laughed and pulled his hand away from it.

"Vlad, you have to let the burn heal." I remarked. Vlad groaned as he collapsed onto the bed.

"But Minaaaaa, I've been nocturnal for 700 years. Even though I'm not a vampire, I still seem to burst into flame vhen I step outside!" Vlad complained. I laughed again and stood up, closing the dresser drawer.

"C'mon, no crocodile tears." I replied. "I think her whinyness comes from you." Vlad raised an eyebrow, then sat up.

"Oh really?" He said. "Last night, I'd say you were pretty whiney-"

"Hey hey hey!" I exclaimed. "We agreed. What happens in the bedroom stays in the bedroom." We glared at each other for a minute, then laughed. Vlad stood up and hugged me, nuzzling his face in the crook of my neck.

"I love you, Mina." Vlad murmured. I smiled and hugged him back.

"I love you too, Vlad." I murmured back.

-  
>"Are you ready to go to your new home?" Chester asked Dess as me and Vlad walked out of the castle. Dess pouted, hugging onto my old dolly (the one Vlad fixed for me).<br>"I don't wanna go." Dess whined, hiding her mouth behind the dolly. I chuckled as I took her from Chester.  
>"C'mon, it'll be fun." I cooed. "Besides, if you're a really good girl, Daddy might take you to the castle with him sometimes." This seemed to cheer Dess up, because she smiled widely, then waved at the castle.<br>"Bye bye, house!" She exclaimed. "I'll come play soon, ok?" Vlad laughed and he leaned in and whispered in my ear.  
>"She's so much like you vhen you vere young." Vlad whispered. I looked at him.<br>"Well...as long as you don't start becoming her imaginary friend, I'll think we'll be ok." I replied. We both laughed together. Chester looked at Dess and smiled. He had grown since 5 years ago. He was skinnier, healthier, with a fine stubble across its face. It suited him. He looked up at me. I smiled. Our conflict had been resolved. I had forgiven him for trying to kill Vlad since it was really all Eric's fault, and he had accepted that I didn't love him. It was difficult for him to manage for a while, but after he found his new girlfriend, Camilla, he was quick to change his mind about me, and vampires.  
>I looked up at Vlad. "Ready to go?" Vlad nodded.<br>"Yes." he replied. He kissed me, then we both headed out to our new home.

Dess woke up to the sound of moaning. She was half expecting that Mommy and Daddy were just playing their mommy-daddy game, but it was different. It was more pained, agonized. She slipped out of bed, slowly opening the door. Her new house was still foreign to her, but she was clever enough. She followed the sound of the moan, walking down the hall. She pressed her ear against mommy's door just to make sure it wasn't them. She walked down the halls, down to her toy room.  
>There were lots of toys, scattered here and there. She held onto her dolly, looking around. Most of her toys were dolls, but she had a table and a tea set that mommy had gave her for her birthday there, too. Slowly, the moan grew louder, and from the floors seem to emerge a pale blue man.<br>He was in very odd clothing. He didn't have clothes like daddy, but almost the kind of clothing she saw in her favorite movie, 'Alice in Wonderland'. He had large bags under his eyes, and chains around his wrists. The man looked down at the child, lifelessly.  
>"Who...are you..." The man moaned. "Get...out..." Dess tilted her head.<br>"Why?" Dess asked. "And why are you moaning? You sound like Daddy." The man's face turned confused, then it suddenly turned red as though he had realized something he wish he hadn't.  
>"This house is cursed..." The man moaned. Dess still just stared at the man.<br>"You look like the Mad Hatter in my storybook." Dess replied, absent mindedly. The man frowned.  
>"I was a hatter, when I was alive..." The man trailed off at the end of his sentence. Dess blinked and smiled.<br>"You're gonna be my best friend from today on," Dess declared. "Ok?"


End file.
